Kamakura, Japan

March 18

We went to Starbucks for breakfast and had their dry cinnamon rolls. 

sign for the bathroom in the building our hotel was in

Our tour was with the same guide we had for the Tokyo day in the middle of the cruise, Kenji. (our 3^rd least favorite guide who grew on us)

Kamakura was once the political capital of Japan and often referred to as “the Kyoto of the east.” It is considered the birthplace of the samurai warrior class in Japan. The Kamakura Shogunate, Japan's first military government, was established there in 1192 by Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147 - 1199) founded the Kamakura shogunate (1185 - 1333), Japan's first military government, which ruled much of the country, marking the beginning of the Kamakura period. This period saw the rise of samurai culture and a shift in Japanese history towards a feudal society.

We figured Kenji would meet us by Starbucks since it was the ground floor, but I imagine he came and checked out the hotel prior to our tour date as he was in the lobby on the 18^th floor.

Kamakura is about an hour by train away from Tokyo. On the train Kenji was studying his notes. We got off at one stop and then Kenji talked to some people, and we got back on the train and got off at another stop.

Our first stop was the Hase Kannon Buddhist Temple. He kept repeating 800 years. (guess that was all he could remember from his notes) Honestly, that was fine with us, we aren’t into long lectures when touring.

walking from the train station to the temple

Hase Kannon Buddhist Temple

Kenji on the left

there were some steps to a viewing area of the surrounding area

no photos inside the main hall

area to hang your wishes

There was a cave with images carved on the walls, called Benten Kutsu, besides the image of Kannon. In Mahayana Buddhism, Kannon is a popular Bodhisattva of compassion and mercy and is often depicted with a leafy branch of a weeping willow, used to sprinkle the "nectar of life". 

entry to the cave

we didn't take time to stop - Kenji was way ahead of us

As the day went on, we said to each other that we didn’t think he had been there before. At one of the temples, he said to me “I have to tell you I have never been here before”. I said, “then we will enjoy it together”. He had his cell phone out and was taking photos right alongside of us. 

We grabbed a bus to see the Great Buddha of Kamakura. The construction of the statue began in 1252, and it was originally enshrined in Daibutsu-den Hall. However, the building was destroyed due to several typhoons and ultimately by a huge tsunami in 1498. Since then, the Buddha has been standing in the open air. 

great detail even on the fingernails

It was time for lunch, and he suggested “noodles”. While we love noodles, we have been about “noodled-out” by this time in the trip. We found a place that had other things on the menu, so we went in.  We bought his lunch, and he ordered warm sake to make a toast.

Kenji trudging ahead of us

the restaurant

Greg's fish & rice and of course they all come with noodles

my vegetable tempura on noodles (also came with noodles)

Kenji pouring the warm saki

cute statues outside the restaurant

We walked back to the train station for our next stop.

sign outside a clothing store - genderless?

We walked to the bus stop and went to the Hokokuji Buddhist Temple known for its bamboo gardens and is sometimes called "The Bamboo Temple". We noticed on the bus that a few young ladies were wearing traditional kimonos. As we approached the gardens, we saw more young ladies wearing beautiful kimonos. They were touring the gardens and then having tea. (same as we were)

bus stop to our next destination

Hokokuji Temple

it was a Zen garden - hard to see the freshly raked circles

The three caves in the wall at Hokoku-ji Temple in Kamakura are called Yagura. These are man-made tombs that house the ashes of samurai and priests from Kamakura's history, particularly the Ashikaga clan

Kenji wanted us to get tickets that included the tea. It really was a nice tea service with green tea and sweets looking at the bamboo forest.

these young ladies were having a great time in their kimonos

a small cemetery

We walked back to the bus stop for our visit to Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shinto Shrine. When we were going up the stairs to the temple Kenji turns to me out of breath and says “I’m, dying”. I said, “you can do it!” No need to rush anyway, but he felt compelled to.  

back at the bus stop

walking to Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shinto Shrine

there were the steps where Jenji thought he was dying

up the steps to Maruyami Inari Shrine

Our last destination was Komachi-dori Street, a popular shopping and street food street. (I would have rearranged the day to have had lunch here) There were also many restaurants. 

We needed a restroom break and Kenji said we will need to order something. He found a fun restaurant that didn’t mind us using their restroom. We were ready for some dessert and ordered a Belgian waffle with strawberries and a strawberry shave ice. Yum! Wow, the strawberry ice was delicious, the waffle was good, but the strawberry ice really hit the spot. 

Their bathroom was tiny and had a toilet with a sink built into the top of the tank. When you flushed the water started to run in the sink. There was also a sink in the dining area and when I came out Kenji thought I hadn’t washed my hands, and I said there was a sink in there. The owner smiled.

Hawaiian Cafe

strawberry waffle

strawberry shave ice - very finely shaved

yes, it was HUGE

I wanted to pop into some shops, and it took all of my will not to go play with pigs or cats. There were several cat cafes and dog cafes, but the one I thought was really cute was a micro-pig café. I found a pair of earrings with the same stone that I found in Okinawa only they were in the shape of cats. Score! I found the same set of Katana (samurai swords) for Scott in one of the shops, but didn’t want to carry them back on the train and for the rest of the walk. (again, they said the same ones are on Amazon) 

where the micro-pigs were

Before getting on the train back to Tokyo Kenji stopped to ask directions and to pick up a couple boxes of something. He said they were really good, and he was taking them home and he gave one box to us. Several people on the train also had them. 

We tried to leave Kenjie at the train station when we reached Tokyo as we knew our way back to the hotel, but he was determined to take us back to the hotel. Finally, close to the hotel we said goodbye and “presented” his tip in an envelope (as is the custom) and as we said goodbye he broke into tears. So, we teared up. He is a nice man and means well, but not a tour guide. I asked if I could give him a hug which he gladly accepted. 

It was around 6:00 and we went to find dinner. We went to what is known as Memory Lane (Omoide Yokocho) which is a tiny alleyway in the Shinjuku neighborhood lined with places to try authentic Japanese street food. It was very close to our hotel and was a fun experience. 

back in Tokyo

these signs were on many restaurants - they also don't split meals as each person must order a meal

the entry to Memory Lane

We found a tiny spot making Yakitori, so we tucked into the tight space. Here is the menu:

Pork: meat, heart, intestine, meat & onion, tongue, cartilage, liver, and womb.

Chicken: meat or gizzard

Vegetable: mushroom, small green pepper, green onion, sweet pepper

Choice of salt or soy sauce

Side Dishes: green soybeans, stewed guts, Korean Kimchee, Sausage, bacon-wrapped asparagus, rice 

In case you missed it, we could have tried pork womb and stewed guts.

We had normal pork meat with veggies and some rice. 

we stopped at this Yakitori place

Greg found a seat

skewers of things ready to grill

tofu soaked in something

cooking our food - the fan fueled the fire

Skewered pork and vegetables

Skewered pork, chicken & vegetables

continuing the lane

a crowded restaurant

we found our way back to the same place where we ate

We walked around the area before going back to the hotel where we had some gelato and picked up a couple of chocolate croissants for breakfast tomorrow morning. (couldn’t bear another dry cinnamon roll from Starbucks) Greg said he’d pick up his coffee and my hot chocolate to have with it the next morning.

after our walk we were still a bit hungry and stopped for some pork dumplings

the gift from Kenji

the cute box had these even cuter cookies inside

magnet

Kamakura, Japan https://photos.app.goo.gl/NLPPFG9eVWCKHJLeA

Tomorrow, we have another early morning and our last day of touring in Japan. Honestly, I was looking the most forward to seeing the Snow Monkeys than anything else!